The politics of innovation : why some countries are better than others at science & technology / Mark Zachary Taylor.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Taylor, Mark Zachary, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Science and state.

Technology and state.

Physical Description:

xiii, 427 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : Oxford University Press, [2016]

Summary:

Why are some countries better than others at science and technology (S&T)? Mark Zachary Taylor's The Politics of Innovation provides readers with a comprehensive introduction to the debates over national S&T competitiveness. It synthesizes over fifty years of theory and research on national innovation rates, bringing together the current political and economic wisdom, and latest findings, about how nations become S&T leaders. Many experts mistakenly believe that domestic institutions and policies determine national innovation rates. However, after decades of research, there is still no agreement on precisely how this happens, exactly which institutions matter, and little evidence has been produced to support any particular explanation. Yet, despite these problems, a core belief that domestic institutions determine national innovation rotes remains widely held and little challenged. The Politics of Innovation confronts head-on this contradiction between theory, evidence, and the popularity of the institutions-innovation hypothesis. It presents extensive evidence to show that domestic institutions and policies do not determine innovation rates. Instead, it argues that networks are perhaps more important than institutions in determining national innovation rates. The Politics of Innovation also introduces a new theory of "creative insecurity" which explains how institutions, policies, and networks are all subservient to politics. Ultimately, each country's balance of domestic rivalries vs. external threats, and the ensuing political fights, are what drive S&T competitiveness. Book jacket.

Contents:

Part 1 Cardwell's Law

1 Introduction-The Puzzle of Cardwell's Law 3

2 Measuring the Black Box 25

3 Cardwell's Law in Action 40

Part 2 How Do Nations Innovate? - Policies and Institutions

4 Does Technology Need Government?-The Five Pillars of Innovation 69

5 "Why Nations Fail"-Capitalism, Democracy, and Decentralization 107

6 How Nations Succeed-Networks, Clusters, and Standards 140

Part 3 Why do Nations Innovate? - Creative Insecurity

7 Technological Losers and Political Resistance to Innovation 183

8 Creative Insecurity-Olson's Nemesis 215

9 Critical Cases of Creative Insecurity 243

10 Conclusion-Creative Insecurity and Its Implications 275.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 365-402) and index.

Other Format:

Online version: Taylor, Mark Zachary. Politics of innovation.

ISBN:

9780190464127

0190464127

9780190464134

0190464135

OCLC:

929985389